Emergency services report continues to draw fire

April 9, 2013

Consultants neglect to talk to critical groups, county supervisor says

A controversial report on the county’s emergency medical system was still causing consternation at the Mono County Board of Supervisors dais this week, even though the report is long done.

“I heard again from various people in the community that they were never contacted by the people that wrote the report, even though the consultants told us they had,” said Supervisor Tim Fesko, whose North County district has the highest concentration of seniors in the county.

“This is a situation that just keeps getting worse and worse. They said they talked to the Walker fire department when they did not and to the Antelope Valley fire department when they did not.

“This is quite disturbing, that more and more people are coming forward (that have not been contacted). Is there a remedy for this?”

The report Fesko spoke about was commissioned by the county and completed last year.

It was controversial then, due to some supervisors (especially Duane “Hap” Hazard and Tim Hansen) worries that critical constituencies had not been contacted, and it has continued to garner criticism, including sharp criticism from the county paramedics.

The problem now, the county’s counsel told Fesko, is that the report was considered completed and was signed off on by the previous county administrator, Jim Arkens, who resigned in February to take another job.

“I don’t see a legal reason not to give them the amount on the final invoice,” said Marshall Rudolph.

Fesko urged that the issues with the report, completed by a consultant group called Fitch and Associates, be evaluated as the current county supervisors move forward with negotiations with the county paramedic union group, and with planning for all emergency services in the county.